Maybe I’m rubbish at Instagram. Maybe you just aren’t inspired by what I put up there. Or maybe your job is to get stuff into the papers – and you don’t give a monkeys about what is posted on social media.
Whatever the reason, in the past few weeks, while randomly Insta-trawling as I wait in airports/train stations/taxi ranks, I’ve noticed that a lot of PRs don’t seem to care as much I thought they would about my posts featuring their clients. And that often, if I put something up on Instagram, in order to drive followers to a story, they aren’t being widely Re-Posted or quoted by PRs on their own feeds.
We journalists are under constant pressure to push our own stories on social media. The idea being, of course, that, if someone on Instagram/Facebook is tempted by our tempting little Insta hooks, then they might click on the publication – or, even better still, become a subscriber.
You, too, I assume, are under pressure to get the word out there about your clients. Which is why I assumed that any mention of them on social media by a journalist, alongside a feature in a respected publication, would be welcomed and that you would instantly Re-Post, or write your own feed, to highlight it.
While a handful of PRs are pretty good at picking up that their client is in a publication, and driving social media to it, most are not. Which is making me wonder whether I should ditch Insta altogether – and focus on journalism. It would save me time. I wouldn’t constantly be looking up handles for hotel chains/planes/boats/destinations/cities to paste at the end of my Insta feeds. I wouldn’t need to take pictures all the time.
And, frankly, if you aren’t that bothered about driving followers to your clients’ accounts, maybe I shouldn’t be, either.
What’s your take? All feedback welcome (particularly if my account is rubbish, and you can advise).
